The Brawlers
by JuwahBel
Summary: An MC from Georgia with deep connections to SAMCRO rolls into town for a visit, but The Brawlers aren't your average MC.
1. Chapter 1: The Brawlers Come to Town

**Author's Note: I got this idea a couple of weeks ago. I have it happening a few weeks after season 5 but with some changes. Bobby is still the VP and the thing with Tara and Otto didn't happen. I started watching SoA way late in the game so I've been catching up and the idea came to me after Opie's death but before everything with Otto and Tara happened (though the Clay thing worked really well for the story, so I'm going to keep it in, and, like I said, Bobby is still the VP so I'm disregarding what happened in the last episode of Season 5 between him and Jax). I know it's kind of confusing, but this particular SAMCRO universe works really well with my idea, so please forgive me? Ha ha.**

**I do not own a single character that appears in the show, of course, but the entirety of the club The Brawlers are mine. **

"Alright, it passes. We've got ourselves a new prospect." The gavel came down hard, shaking the table slightly. Jax Teller and the gentlemen of SAMCRO started to stand up from the table. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. I got a call from Jabes Callahan…" Jax looked at all the men in the room, some standing, some sitting. "Looks like we'll be having guests. The Brawlers roll in tomorrow. Let's show 'em a good time, huh?"

"Yeah, I'll talk to Gemma. Maybe we can get a party going or something." Bobby said as he stood up and put his reading glasses away.

"Sounds good. The club needs to relax a bit, especially after all that's happened." Jax paused for a second and looked down at the opposite end of the table where Clay had once sat. He turned and walked out, the manila folder holding the new prospect's paperwork in hand.

Juice walked up to Bobby. "Who are the Brawlers?" He said quietly, hoping no one else would hear him so he wouldn't sound stupid for not knowing the answer.

Bobby turned to him and a smile pulled at the edge of his lips. "Oh, they're an MC from out east." Bobby said nonchalantly then slapped his hand onto Juice's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. The smile on Bobby's face made Juice uneasy.

"Come on, Juicy. Don't look so nervous! You, too, Tig. You should be excited about this…ha ha!" Chibs stood up from his seat to the right of where Jax had been sitting and slapped Tig on the back teasingly as he walked out. Juice looked at Tig, who was leaned back in his seat, his elbow resting on the arm rests of the chair, and his eyes distant. Looking at Tig made Juice even more nervous.

Tig broke out of the trance and looked up at Juice who had been staring at him. "What are you looking at?" And with that, he coolly stood up from his seat, ran a hand through his hair, and stalked out of the room and went straight to the bar for a shot.

"Eh, Juicy! Jax wants us to make a run real quick. Let's go!" Chibs had come back in the doorway and slipped on his sunglasses, an unlit cigarette hanging loosely from his lips. "Oh come on!" The Scot walked in the room and grabbed Juice by the base of the neck and guided him out the door and into his SAMCRO duties for the day.

* * *

The way the brothers had been acting ever since the meeting the night before had heightened Juice's unease. There hadn't been a party in a while, so of course there was the excitement for that, but there was also an air around the place, a strange electricity, that made Juice think that The Brawlers weren't just another MC. It was as though the older guys all knew something that the newer guys didn't.

Phil and the prospects were busy all day stocking up the bar and cleaning the place up. Jax had been making calls all day and the other SAMCRO members were either out running errands or working in the shop. Juice dropped the box of lemons and limes on the bar and walked outside, where he found Tig sitting at the picnic table. Tig was sitting with his back to the tabletop, a burning cigarette between his lips, and his head tilted back. His sunglasses were on so Juice didn't know if his eyes were open or not.

"Hey…" he said cautiously. Tig had never given Juice a real reason to be afraid of him, but nevertheless Tig scared the shit out of Juice. There was something off putting with his strange quirks and just overall demeanor. Plus the dude was into some weird shit.

"What?" Tig said without moving a muscle.

"You doin' alright, man?" Juice moved closer and sat down on the same bench but as far away as possible from Tig.

"Yeah. I'm fine." The sarcasm was practically dripping from his words. He sat up and leaned forward putting his elbows on his knees. He took a long drag on his cigarette then threw it on the ground and stomped it out.

Before Juice could ask any more questions the boys from SAMCRO that had been out all pulled into the lot. They parked their bikes and one by one made their way to Tig and Juice. Jax came out of the clubhouse to meet them and lit a cigarette.

"They'll be here any minute. Jabes called me when they hit the border." Jax leaned on a pole, facing out into the lot of Teller-Morrow. "Is everything set?" He asked without looking at anyone in particular.

"Yeah. The prospects have the booze straightened out. I called some of the guys that are staying in town and they'll be in for the party. They're pretty excited." Bobby moved to stand next to Jax.

"Yeah, nothing like a good homecoming." Jax threw the cigarette on the ground and all of SAMCRO could hear the thunderous noise of motorcycles turning down the street that TM was located on. "Here we go boys!" He yelled and he jumped off of the ledge and into the lot. The rest of SAMCRO fell in suit, including Happy who had been in the shop, and took their places in a loose semi-circle in front of the clubhouse. The prospects came out of the clubhouse and stood near the picnic table.

A few seconds later, the first motorcycle turned into TM and then the 20 others followed.

"Wait a minute…is that a chick?" Juice looked at Bobby who he had found himself standing next to. "Wait…are they all chicks?!" Juice looked at Bobby, but Bobby kept watching the bikes come in. Bobby smiled and hit Juice on the back and then went to stand next to Jax farther down the line of Sons to Juice's right. Juice turned to Tig "Is that allowed? Can chicks be in an MC?"

Tig slowly turned his head to Juice. "You know what? Why don't you ask them?" Then he turned his head away from Juice and put his hands on his hips.

"Jesus…" Juice sighed.

The first bike that had pulled in stopped and the woman seated on the bike turned it off. There was a long red braid hanging down over her left shoulder, but that's all Juice could tell from where he was standing. She unsnapped her helmet and laid it on her handlebars. Slowly the women behind her did the same.

The first woman stood up and put her hands on her hips and waited for a few seconds, then ran to Chibs who was 3 people over to Juice's left.

"Sweet girl!" Chibs yelled as she slung her arms around his neck and he spun her around a few times in an embrace. He set her down and put his hands on either side of her face. They were both beaming.

"Chibsy! You look good old man!" She patted him on the stomach and they laughed.

"So do you, sweetheart!" He planted a kiss on her forehead then let go of her face. She put her hand on the side of his face then turned towards where Juice was standing to make her way up the line of men. She walked past Happy and stopped right before she reached Tig, whose hands were still on his hips and his head was rigidly tilted slightly up.

"Jabes…" He said quietly. From Juice's perspective it looked like Tig was trying his hardest to avoid eye contact. A smile split Jabes's lips and she started moving again but while she passed Trager she used the back of her hand to pat him on the crotch. Tigger lurched forward slightly and made a grunting noise.

"Tig…" She said with the exact intonation he had used saying her name.

She started to pass by Juice and that was the first time Juice could get a look at her. She was young, in her late-20's, damn tall, pretty, and had a hell of a lot swagger. She had red/blonde hair and freckles all over her face and bare arms. Her cut was worn and on her right breast the patch "President" was sewn on and underneath that was "Lady Misery" and the number "1" in red thread. She wore a pair of tight bluejeans and a grey tanktop. There was a knife in a sheath on her right side and Juice could see the hint of a tattoo on the front of her hip where there was a gap between her jeans and her shirt.

As she passed him she looked him up and down and gave him a wicked smile. "Uh oh…" she said under her breath. He watched her as she passed by Phil got to Bobby, who gave her a long hug and called her "sweetheart".

While Jabes talked with Bobby for a few seconds, Juice glanced over at the rest of The Brawlers. There were 21 bikes in total and attached to each one was a tough looking woman. Every single one of them looked like they could kick your ass, even the shortest one who probably topped out at about 5'5. They leaned on their bikes, arms crossed or hands on their hips. Some had cigarettes, some had braids like Jabes, some had black eyes and gold teeth, but like SAMCRO, they were all watching when Jabes finally made her way to Jax.

The two presidents stood looking at each other for a few seconds and in a flurry of gleeful shouts and welcomes they hugged.

"Goddamn, girl. Look at you! All grown up and shit." Jax said after they let go of each other. He spun her around and looked her up and down. "It's been what? 8 years?" He said as he put his hand on her shoulder.

"8 years too long! Geez. Look at this place. It still looks the same!" She put her hands on her hips and smiled at him.

"Yeah, we're working on that." He laughed softly. "Why don't you come inside and see what else hasn't changed." He pulled her closer and put his arm around her shoulders.

"Okay. Hang on." She turned back to her crew. "Alright, ladies…play nice." She said in a joking manner. The girls that had been sitting pretty much silently got off of their bikes and also started walking to the clubhouse. The SAMCRO boys all hung back and watched the women walk past them. Many were pretty, a few drop dead gorgeous, none were the stereotypical overly butch biker bitch. They were all on another level of woman. Just from looking at them, it was obvious they were not going to be anything like crow-eaters and they were not looking to be anybody's old ladies.

"Hey, baby." A hot brunette Brawler with a ponytail and naked lady tattood on her upper arm said with a wink as she neared Juice. As she walked past him she turned around and walked backwards. "I'll see you later, huh?" She started laughing along with the blonde woman she had been walking with. The women put their arms around each other and sashayed off.

"Um…" Juice swallowed hard, not knowing what to do. Happy walked up to him.

"Don't worry, brother. You'll survive." He said in a serious tone. And then, along with SAMCRO, followed the girls into the clubhouse, leaving Juice in the lot wondering what the hell was happening.


	2. Chapter 2: Home

"The mother fucking Brawlers!" Jax exclaimed as he and Jabes perched themselves at the bar. There was a goofy grin on his face as he looked her up and down. It had been 8 years since the two had seen each other and it was so hard to believe that the gorgeous woman that was sitting in front of him, the president of her very own MC, had once been the young, pigtailed girl he had grown up with. Last time they had seen each other face-to-face The Brawlers was just an idea, something she dreamed about since she would never be allowed into the Sons of Anarchy. Jax could remember when her dad would visit his, and after JT's death when her dad would come and hang out with Clay, dragging her along in her jeans and Disney shirts. Even when they were 10 she would tease him that when she was president of SAMCRO, she'd let him be her VP.

Jax could also clearly recall when she first told him about her idea of creating her own MC. She had ridden in with her father for the week and had to work on her bike in the shop. She had been around bikes her entire life and since she was her father's only child, she sort of became his son. He taught her everything about motorcycles and the Sons of Anarchy way of life. He always joked that she should be the first woman ever inducted into the Sons, but he knew that that was impossible. The night she told Jax, he was out there with her just shooting the shit along with some of the other guys when she pulled him aside and told him her idea. At first he thought she had been joking, but the look in her eyes proved to him that she wanted, needed, to do this. He picked her up and swung her around and in celebration they shared a joint and a fifth of whiskey together.

"Yeah, man. The motherfucking Brawlers." She laughed and felt her face grow hot. It had been so long that she had completely forgotten how magnetic Jax was. She and her crew had only been with SAMCRO for about 10 minutes, but she already felt the draw. She couldn't act on it, she knew, she would never act on it. The boy (because he'd always be the little boy with bright blue eyes to her) was like her brother, and besides he was married now and had two sons of his own. The times had surely changed. They had surely changed.

Phil stood behind the bar watching the two. Jabes tore her eyes away from her childhood friend and looked at Phil.

"Hey, big boy. Can I get a shot of Jameson and then another one?" She tapped two fingers on the bar and then turned the stool to face Jax and began to peel her leather gloves off. Jax nodded to Phil, saying he would take the same.

Jabes looked around the clubhouse, and as Jax had warned her, it had barely changed since the last time she was here. The mugshots were still there, with a few additions of course, the pool table was still where it used to be, and there were still grungy men trying to out-testosterone each other. Tig sauntered in and looked around at all the women in the clubhouse. He stopped just inside of the doorway and put his hands on his hips. He scanned the room and he and Jabes briefly made eye contact, long enough for her to send him a smile and a wink. He tilted his head back to look at the ceiling and turned to go talk to Chibs who was leaning against the pool table.

Jax saw her wink and glanced behind him towards the door just in time to see Tig walk away from the doorway.

"Ah, you really like to fuck with him, huh?" He smiled and turned back to Jabes.

"What can I say? It's so damn easy. Plus he's wanted me since I became legal and I can't help but tease him about that. Clearly 8 years hasn't changed his mind or else he wouldn't be acting so weird. Well…weirder than normal." Phil placed the two shot glasses on the bar by her left elbow and then another two by Jax. The presidents grabbed a glass, raised them, and downed the whiskey.

"So how have you been, Jessalynn?" Jax put his tongue in his cheek and raised his eyebrows at her.

"Please, sweet Jesus, never call me that again. Don't doubt that I won't kick your ass." She pointed a finger at him and raised her eyebrows back.

"Oh, I know you will. Glad you still have the fight in you."

"What did you expect? Do you know how many assholes I've had to deal with in my life? Especially since nearly every guy even remotely interested in motorcycles is convinced that I need to be riding bitch behind some gross hairy man." She cut her eyes at him accusingly, but there was still a smile on her face.

"Hey, now! Don't look at me like that. Last time I heard I was still going to be your VP." Jax raised his hands defensively and they both laughed.

"It could still happen! Nah, but I've been alright. We've been working some minor protection shit and we've been mostly muling stuff through Georgia from the pill mills in Florida. It's shit but it pays decently…well, paid decently." Jabes straightened up on the stool and began to undo her braid. She hated plaiting it, but it was so long that there was no other way she could wear it during a run. She loosened her nearly waist-length wavy red hair then promptly put it in a messy bun on top of her head.

"Paid? Did it dry up?" Jax put his fingers around his other shot glass and on cue Jabes did the same. Together they drank the second shot and then slammed the glasses on the table.

"As dry as the Mojave. The DEA shut down the guys that hired us. We've been talking about moving west anyways. The Hispanics pretty much have a monopoly on all that shit in the southeast, so there really is no room for a white MC, let alone one completely made up of…well…us." Jabes leaned her left elbow on the bar and rubbed her forehead. "We were hoping to set up camp in Cali for a while. That's one of the reasons we came."

"Of course! The Brawlers are always welcome in Charming, darlin'. You can even set up headquarters here with us. Sit at the table." Jax put his hand on her shoulder and looked her dead in the eyes.

"Um…aren't there some bylaws against a woman sitting at the table?" Jabes gave him an uneasy look.

"We have a lot of antiquated shit written into our lawbooks that are overdue for changing. We've just been a little busy lately."

"Are you sure, Jax? You don't think any of the guys will have a problem?" Jax took his hand off of her shoulder and placed it back on his knee.

"Trust me, Jabes, they'll want you there. They'll see the benefits of having you ladies in town and they know that we need to move SAMCRO forward. Plus, if they're not already in love with you, they will be." Jabes punched him in the arm and he feigned being in pain.

Phil came by and collected the glasses.

"Can I get two more?" Jabes held up two fingers. She gave Jax a sideways glance. "You gonna keep up, hot stuff?" Jax smiled and nodded at Phil as he rubbed his hand across his mouth. She had always wanted, and had always been able, to compete with the boys. He had admired that about her since they were children.

Phil was back a few seconds later and the two downed yet another shot.

"Ey! You gonna leave any for us?" Chibs called across the room right after Jabes and Jax slammed the glasses down. Jabes stood up on the rungs of the stool and leaned across the bar in Chibs's direction.

"Hey, if you want to challenge me, go for it, Chibsy. Don't think I can't drink you and Jax both under the table!" Her challenge was answered by all of her crew hooting and clapping. The women were spread out around the clubhouse, about a quarter of them mingling with the SAMCRO boys. Some were playing pool against Happy and Juice, a few were hanging out around the tables, and a couple of others were taking turns screwing around on the stripper pole. They all stopped what they were doing, though, to support their president.

"Oh, sweetheart, you'd make your father proud!" Chibs raised his beer bottle to her and took a swig. She blew him a kiss then slid back into her stool to look at Jax.

"But, I didn't just come here to fuck with your guys and impose on you." She put her left elbow back on the bar and leaned her head against her hand. Her tone turned from being lighthearted to being extremely serious and her voice dropped drastically in volume. "Jax, I'm really sorry about what happened to Opie." Jax's head dropped about an inch and his eyes went to his hands in his lap.

"Yeah, thanks…" He said quietly. Jabes reached out and took one of his hands in her own.

"Jax…hey…" she said, trying to get him to look at her. He raised his eyes to meet hers and in them she could see the pain, the anguish, he had been, and was, enduring since his best friend's brutal death. "We rode out as soon as we heard. But, you know Opie's with Donna now. I know he is and I know he is looking down on you and smiling because you have done everything you could to both save him and this club. Okay?" Jax nodded squeezed her hand. "Is there anything I can do?"

She could clearly see that Jax was in pain. She remembered the call she had gotten just a few weeks before. Chibs had called to let her know what had happened to Opie and she broke down before she had the chance to hang up with him. She had known Opie almost as long as she had known Jax. Her dad had been extremely close with nearly all of the First 9 and he often took her on trips with him when he came to visit his Charming brothers. Opie was always the big one that she'd gently tease and Jax was the one that was in on the joke but had to do damage control convincing Opie she meant nothing by it. She and Opie had been close when they were younger, but they had only talked twice since her last visit to SAMCRO when she was 20. Those two times were always just a brief conversation that had little depth. She missed him and when she found out he had been murdered, she was crushed. She regretted not attempting to keep that friendship she had so treasured in her youth in tact.

Jax shook his head and let out a burst of air and she could tell he was trying to keep the tears back. "No. No, Jabes. Thank you, though." He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. "I'm just glad you're here. We've gone through a lot of shit and I think you came at the perfect time. You and your girls being here is the best thing you could do for me and the club." He let go of her hands and stood. She followed suit and they took their last shot. It was a lot of alcohol, but Jabes could handle her liquor and she knew Jax could, too.

"Hey, come here." He said after they had put their glasses down. He folded his arms around her and squeezed her tightly. She wrapped her arms around his waist and breathed in the scent of leather, cigarettes, and Jax Teller. He smelled like home.


	3. Chapter 3: Introductions

**Author's Note: Hello! This isn't my best/most interesting chapter. My thinking for this story has been kind of erratic. I keep thinking of things that will go waaaay into the future and I'm just trying to figure out a way to get where my imagination keeps taking me when I think of the story line. Please let me know what you think! I love feedback and I really want to know where you all would like to see this go! Thank you for reading! **

As soon as dusk hit, the Sons of Anarchy sign was fired up in front of the clubhouse and the barbeque was rolled out. Motorcycles rolled in from all over California and the surrounding states to welcome The Brawlers to Charming and into the bosom of the mother chapter. The Reaper roamed among the flaming brass knuckles of The Brawlers and beer and liquor were being passed around to all by several scantily clad sweet butts. Nearly 100 people were on TM property by 11pm and all of the worries of SAMCRO and recent events seemingly melted away into the night and into a mug of beer.

Loud rock 'n roll was playing from the loudspeakers placed both in and out of the clubhouse and people were beginning to pair off in the boxing ring. The Brawlers all wore their kuttes, but several had changed out of their run gear and into more aesthetically pleasing clothing, much to the pleasure of all of the men, and some of the women, at the welcoming party. It was a loud, rowdy party, one that only one-percenters would ever be capable of throwing.

* * *

"Hey, you seen Jabes?" Jax slapped Chibs on the back. Jax had emerged from the back of the clubhouse after calling Tara to check on her and the boys. He had seen his SAA across the room by the piano and approached him. Chibs turned from the blonde hottie he had been talking to face the SAMCRO president.

"Ay. Last time I saw 'er she was walkin' 'round the ring. Waitin' for 'er to jump in." Chibs turned from Jax towards the blonde girl just in time to see her turn around and walk away. "Goddammit, Jackie…"

"Sorry about that, brother." Jax tried to hide his smile by putting his head down and shoving his hands in his pockets.

"It's not funny. I was this close to havin' that sweet 120lbs on my cock!" Chibs held up two fingers to illustrate just how close he had been. He let his hand drop in defeat and took another drink of his beer, his eyes lingering on the blonde who was now talking to one of the Sons from Washington. "Why are you looking for her, eh?"

"Figured it was time for some introductions. You know, let the boys meet her."

"Oh, no. I've got to see this. Let's go find 'er, huh?" Chibs put his arm around Jax's shoulders and together they walked out of the clubhouse and into the lot where people were crowding around the makeshift bar on a folding table and the boxing ring. It didn't take them long to find Jabes. She was standing at the edge of the crowd around the ring watching the fight. Tig and an Indian Hills Son were fighting and from the looks of it Tig was ahead in the battle. There was blood dripping down Tig's face and one side of the Indian Hills Son's face was swollen, but like nearly all of the fights in the ring, it was a fairly light hearted affair.

Jabes was leaning against one of the poles that held the roof over the ring up. One knee was bent, the bottom of her boot flat against the pole. Her hair hung loose over her shoulders except for a few strands at her temples that were pinned back on either side. She had traded her faded pair of bluejeans for a pair of low-slung, black pants and her black tanktop was hitched up a bit so the flesh between the edge of her pants and below her bellybutton was clearly visible underneath her kutte. Wrapped around the upper-part of her left arm was a band of black leather inscribed with "Hawk" that had two-8 inch strips of leather hanging from it. Her only visible ink peeked between the cloth of her pants and shirt. It was nearly impossible to tell what it was from that far away and only those that had seen her without clothes had ever seen the entirety of the tat.

She was yelling and clapping her hands, eyes fixed on the two men in the ring.

"Come on, Tiggy! COME ON!" She was yelling when Jax and Chibs approached.

"Good fight?" Chibs let his arm drop from Jax's shoulders as Jax went to take a spot next to Jabes to face the ring.

"Tig is getting old, but he still has some fight in him." She replied without looking at her long-time friend. "LET'S GO! COME ON!"

"I see that." Jax crossed his arms. "Chibs was wondering when you're getting in there?" Jabes turned her head to look at Chibs first, who just shrugged and took a swig from his beer, then at Jax. Jax cocked his eyebrow up.

"I'll tell you what. I'll fight if you do." She gave him a small smile.

"Fine." Jax nodded in agreement and looked to the fight. Tig had the Indian Hills Son in the corner. Tig dealt one more blow to the Son's ribs and the Son fell. Like the cocky son of a bitch he was, Tig raised his arms into the air and started yelling his victory. Jax yelled his support of his brother and Chibs raised his glass in a toast.

"No. I'll fight if you fight…me." Jabes had turned her body towards him, her hands on her hips and a defiant smile on her face. Jax's smile was wiped off of his face and he stopped clapping. He looked her in the eyes and saw she was not kidding. If he were to fight Jabes, he knew it wouldn't be like fighting a girl…she was a girl but she wasn't just any girl. She wasn't the hair pulling, fingernail clawing type. He had seen Jabes go to town on some poor soul in a parking lot when they were in their teens. They had both tagged along on Sons business and were told to wait in the parking lot. They were doing what they were told to do, leaning against their bikes and watching over the other Sons' bikes while they were inside when some rowdy middle-aged asshole walked up and started talking about the things he wanted to do to Jabes and that she could ride on the back of his bike, or him for that matter, any time she wanted. Before Jax could stop her, Jabes had tackled him to the ground and turned his face to a bloody pulp. Her father and Clay had heard Jax shouting at her to stop and ran out just in time to see Jax peel her off of the unconscious guy kicking and screaming. After that she wasn't allowed to go with them on any business for several visits and when they finally let her go, they left another Son out in the parking lots with her and Jax to keep an eye on her. And though Jax knew it would be a reasonably fair fight if they were both going their hardest, he didn't think he'd be able to go full throttle considering they had been friends for so long and he saw her as a sister. And if he couldn't count on himself to fight her at his full ability, she'd take advantage of that and he'd end up looking like hamburger meat like that guy in the parking lot.

Jax was opening his mouth to try and talk her out of that challenge when Tig and the Indian Hills Son hugged and the fight was officially over. Seizing the opportunity, Jax grabbed her arm. "Let's go introduce you to the boys, huh?" He said and before she could say anything he began to pull her through the crowd and towards the ring.

They managed to reach the edge where Tig and the Indian Hills Son came down. Bobby threw a towel on top of Tig's head and pulled him into a hug before handing him a shot, then Tig and his opponent were carried by the tide inside of the clubhouse and to the bar inside.

Laughing, Jabes swung herself up into the boxing ring and gave Jax her hand to help him into it as well. The crowd was rowdy but they all began to come in tighter around the ring when they saw the two presidents inside of it.

"Hey! Hey! Listen up!" Jax shouted out as loudly as he could. It didn't do much because the crowd didn't settle. Chibs whistled from his ringside seat and the crowd began to simmer down. Someone inside of the clubhouse turned the volume of the music in the speakers down. Curious as to what was going on, people began to file out of the clubhouse and around the ring.

"Alright, now that I've got your attention, you lazy bastards…." All the men lifted their drinks in the air and began to shout and laugh. "and all you lovely ladies…" A grin split Jax's face as the men starting wolf whistling as the girls called out.

"As you can tell, we've got ourselves some visitors." Jax leaned on his hands on the ropes of the ring and listened to the entire crowd shout drunkenly. "And as you can tell, they're not just another boring old MC." Jax looked back at Jabes who was standing about a pace back and to his right, her hands on her hips and her hip cocked out to the side. Her eyes scanned the rowdy mass of bikers with a small smile spread across her face. This crowd was theirs. These were their people.

Jax and Jabes made eye contact and he sent a wink her way then turned back to the crowd. "So, let me introduce to you…THE MOTHER FUCKING BRAWLERS!"

If the crowd had been loud before the presidents had taken the makeshift stage, the noise they made now would be deafening to the gods. Any Brawler that was near an elevated surface jumped onto it to fist pump, stomp, and shout as Jax let Jabes take the stage, or really the ring. Jabes took her place in the forefront, hands still on her hips as her ladies yelled savagely.

"Calm down, calm down." She raised her hand to signal them to stop. Almost instantly the yelling ceased and there was only a faint murmur among the men and Sons of Anarchy friends.

"As our dear Jackson said…" Jabes looked over her shoulder playfully at Jax then back to the people in front of her. "We are The Brawlers. My name is Jabes Callahan and I am the president of this fine club. Now, some of you may have never heard of us, and that's okay…" She began to pace up and down the side of the ring where the people were standing. "We're just a small MC from Georgia. In fact this is our first time as a club out here in good ol' California. But after tonight, I promise you, you will know us…"

Another bout of shouting from The Brawlers erupted. They stomped their feet and beat their chests, some raised their shot glasses then downed the liquor. They all quieted down when Jabes raised her hand again, though.

"Now, we may look like just a group of women. Maybe you think we should each be riding bitch seat behind one of you saggy old farts!" Jabes smiled to let everyone know she was joking. The men "boo'd" her lightheartedly but all at once The Brawlers exclaimed "No, ma'am!" simultaneously.

"But let me tell you…" Jabes jumped up onto the ropes and surveyed the crowd in front of her. About ¾'s of her crew were scattered about in the crowd standing on chairs, coolers, benches, anything elevated above the ground that was flat.

"We are not crow-eaters"

"_NO!" _Each Brawler raised her right fist into the air.

"And trust me, boys, we do not want to be your old ladies"

"_No!" _

"And please keep in mind that we are not easy pussy and we will not just say 'yes' to you, no matter how handsome or badass you believe yourself to be. If one of my ladies likes you, she likes you. If she doesn't, I sure as hell hope you're not fond of your balls because…" Jabes reached to her side and unsheathed her knife. "we've got a few prospects we may be looking to initiate in the near future."

Jabes smiled wickedly at the crowd. The women were cheering but the Sons were looking at the Brawlers around them and their president wearily.

Juice and Tig had come out of the clubhouse and were standing at the back of the crowd. Tig had a towel slung around his neck and had a baggie of ice pressed against his right eye. It wasn't black yet, but he knew he would be a looker in the morning. Juice stood to his left, his arms crossed. When Jabes brandished her knife, Juice leaned closer to Tig.

"You don't think they'd actually do that, do you?" The memories of SAMCRO cutting that carnie's balls off still haunted Juice's nightmares. Tig turned so he could look at Juice with the eye that wasn't covered with ice.

"Why don't you find out?" His voice was cold and dismissive. Juice froze for a second in Tigger's icy stare then turned away, trying to find something to say back. All day Tig had been short and had been less friendly than usual (if that was possible, especially when it came to Juice.) Not coming up with anything, Juice turned and walked over to Filthy Phil about 10 feet away and left Tig to marinate in whatever had been pissing him off over the last 36 hours. Tig watched Juice walk away, then put his free hand on his hip and turned his attention back to the boxing ring.

"Alright, now that I've given my disclaimer speech…LET'S FUCKING PARTY!" Jabes threw her hands up in the air and threw back her head to howl and the crowd exploded with sound and the music in the speakers was cranked up once more. Jax grabbed her around the waist and pulled her off of the ropes, spinning her around before he set her down.

"Nice speech, Jabes, but I'm going to have to request, on a president-to-president basis, that you keep this," Jax plucked the knife from her hands, "In your pants and away from my crew's balls, huh?" The woman laughed and took the knife from him once more and slipped it back into it's home in the sheath strapped to her thigh.

"You know, gotta draw some boundaries. Don't want your boys thinking we're like the trash you keep around here." Jabes cut her eyes at him but she still had a smile on her face. He raised his hands defensively. "I need a drink. I'm too sober." With that, Jabes left Jax in the ring. Chibs swung in and the Seargent at Arms pretended to spar with the SAMCRO president before the first set of Brawlers took the ring.


	4. Chapter 4: Secret Conference

**Author's Note: I'm so excited because things are starting to heat up! The Tig thing was the first bit I thought of for this story, so I'm glad I finally got to that point (it's felt like forever!) Let me know what y'all think! I love reading your reviews and any and all feedback! Thanks for reading! **

It was late into the night, around 2, but the party was still in full swing. A few Brawlers had taken to the boxing ring and were having it out, something that would usually happen when the girls partied. This time it was Kitts and Nanda. Kitts was almost as tall as Jabes's 5"11 feet, but was about 30 pounds heavier. She had dark, shortly cropped hair and always had black makeup smeared around her eyes. Nanda had olive skin and curly black hair pulled back into a braid down her back. Nanda was significantly smaller than Kitts, but Nanda almost always won her fights. Both girls were stripped down to their sports bras and jeans and barefoot, their kuttes safe with Brass, The Brawlers VP. They had been going at it for almost 10 minutes and both Brawlers had sustained black eyes and were bleeding, but it wouldn't be done until one hit the floor. In between punches, and over the shouting and calling of both the Brawlers and the Sons, you could hear the two girls lightheartedly shit talking each other.

Jabes glanced at her girls doing her proud in the ring and at all of the people gathering around to watch. There were a few people that had paired off, a few Sons from out of town and some of her girls, and she watched one couple, a guy from Tacoma and her own Jazzy, abscond around the corner of the clubhouse and into the dark. With a smile, she walked through the doorway to find even more people mingling around the pool table, including Jax, Chibs, and Juice, who were watching a game of pool between Happy and Stevie, one of Jabes's girls. The Brawlers presient nodded to Jax and winked at Chibs and made her way to the bar for another drink. That's when she noticed that Tig was leaning with his back against the bar facing the doorway. His arms were to his side, hands flat on the bar top, bracing himself against it, and his left foot crossed over his right. He was the epitome of cool apathy. A few members of SAMCRO, especially Juice, had noticed that he wasn't his usual womanizing self, though. During the party after he had come out of the ring, he had mostly just taken shots and sat by himself. Chibs had tried his best to get him into his usual partying mood, but Tig was resistant to all of Chibs's charms.

Jabes walked to the longer side of the L-shaped bar and leaned on it.

"What can I get you, baby doll?" A bleach blonde crow-eater in a corset top and too much makeup turned around and leaned on her hands on the bar in front of Jabes.

"Oh…just get me a shot of whiskey." The crow-eater nodded and Jabes looked at Tig. His back was turned to her due to the L-shape of the bar. "Hey, Tig. Do you want a drink?"

Without turning or even moving a muscle, he said "No," barely loud enough for her to hear.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He pulled his left hand off of the bar and rubbed his palm across his mouth, then set his hand back on the bar.

The croweater put a shot down and Jabes pointed at the shot and then raised one finger, telling the girl to get her another. Within seconds another shot glass was placed on the bar. Jabes grabbed them both and walked around to where she was in front of him. She was nearly as tall as him, but he still managed to look right over her head.

"Hey, come on." She held one of the shots out to him. He didn't move to take it. "Look, Tig, I have had a drink with every single member of SAMCRO today. 4 with Jax and 2 with Chibs. The least you can do is just have one little shot with me." Jabes held a shot out to him again and watched him. He closed his eyes and looked down at the shot. He took it from her briskly and quickly downed the liquor and slammed the glass down on the bar to his right, then assumed the position he had been in once more. She stared hard at his face, which was banged up from the boxing ring. He had a small cut over his left eyebrow and around his right eye was turning purple.

"Well, okay…" Jabes moved closer to him. He shifted his weight so he was standing on both feet, but still braced against the bar. She tried looking into his eyes, but his were firmly glued to the space behind her. "How come you're not looking at me, Tig?" She went up on her tip-toes to try and sneak herself into his field of vision, but he just moved his head to the left to look towards the stripper pole where a Brawler was trying to get Phil to dance.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He said in a low voice. She could tell he was tense, that he just wanted her to leave.

"Oh, you don't?" Jabes slipped her hands in the spaces between his arms and his sides and placed her hands on the bar to lean against. She put her own full shot on the bar top behind the man and then slowly eased her pelvis onto his. He didn't move, but she could feel him grow even more tense. She could even feel him against her through their jeans. "What about now?" She said softly. She tried once more to look into his eyes, but they were still fixed on something far off in the distance above her head. He slowly closed his eyes and then slowly opened them once again. Jabes could see that he had clamped his tongue between his molars.

Jabes smiled and slowly leaned her chest against his, bringing her mouth to his left ear. She felt his breath catch and her smile broadened.

"What's the matter, Tigger? Huh?" She breathed softly into his ear. She pulled his earlobe between her lips and sucked on it for a second before letting it go. "You're not looking at me, you're not talking to me. What's going on?" She gently ground her pelvis into his and he took a slight, but sharp, intake of breath.

Tig closed his eyes and clenched his teeth. He took a deep breath and then slowly let his head drop so his lips were just an inch from the exposed skin where her neck and shoulder met. "You know…" he said softly, the longing clear in his voice.

"I guess I do. But don't pretend you don't fucking love this, big guy." She flicked her tongue across his ear. Tig's breath wavered for a second and as though they had minds of their own, his hands left the bar and slowly moved to her hips and then to her supple ass. Since she had placed her arms on the inside of his when she had first positioned herself against him, his arms were completely wrapped around her. This allowed her to surreptitiously slip her left hand in between them to rest on his crotch. He made a soft grunting noise at this contact and Jabes slowly began to move her hand against him. "I can feel you getting harder, and harder…" she breathed. He tilted his head down and his lips met her soft, exposed neck.

Jabes ran her lips against the side of his face, his stubble scratching against them, and pulled her head around so she could look him in the eyes. This time her blue eyes met his heavily lidded ones and she gave him a soft smile. He brought one of his hands to her lower back and pulled her against him tight and started to lean in to kiss her on the mouth. She raised her chin in defiance and pulled away slightly, teasing him. He tried again, but she did the same thing once more. The third time he tried, she pulled her hand from in between them and put a finger on his lips to stop him. She reached around him with her right hand to get her shot, then downed it and slammed it on the bar, all while keeping her finger on his lips.

"Why do you do this to me?" He said from beneath her fingers. His voice was thick and his eyes were set on her full lips. His hands were clenching her hard against him. She leaned back a little, putting more distance between their upper bodies and let her hand fall from his face down to rest on his chest underneath his kutte. She could feel his taut muscles through his button up shirt. She looked up into his ice-blue eyes and shrugged.

"Because you are so easy to fuck with, Tigger. Plus…" She leaned in again to whisper in his ear. "This shit… with you… gets me so…wet…" With that last word, she pushed herself backwards and she felt his hands loosen and fall from her back and ass. She put her right hand on the side of his face, gave him a quick smile, then turned and walked away. He watched her round ass sway during her entire journey away from him and towards Chibs and Juice.

Tig let out all of the air in his lungs, ran a hand through his hair, then turned to the bar. He put his hand to his crotch to adjust himself then put his elbows on the tabletop and hunched forward. "Get me the strongest shit we have…NOW!" He said to the crow-eater behind the bar.

* * *

"So, what's up with them?" Juice and Chibs were leaning against the wall by the pool table. Jax had just left them to watch the end of the fight in the boxing ring outside. Juice leaned his head towards Tig and Jabes. She was pressed against Tig, whispering in his ear.

"Oh, nothing, Juicy." Chibs took a sip of his beer and flicked some hair out of his face. Chibs watched as Tig leaned his head forward. Juice could only imagine what Jabes was saying to get Tigger to respond that way.

"That doesn't look like nothing, man." Juice shifted uncomfortably. He had spent the entire day trying to figure out who the hell this Jabes Callahan was and how she was connected to the club. Everyone he asked gave him extremely vague answers. She had to be someone closely tied to SAMCRO otherwise she wouldn't have been so buddy-buddy with all of the old-timers and she wouldn't be messing with Tig the way she was.

"Trust me, boy-o." Chibs turned his head to look at Juice, who was standing to his right. "It's Jabes. It's Tig. It's nothin'." Chibs took another swig of his beer and then looked over to the pool table where a Brawler with dyed blue hair was playing pool with Happy. The girl kept bending over the table and giving Chibs a nice view of her ass. He turned his attention back to Juice reluctantly. "Why are you even worried about it, Juicy?"

"I'm just curious. And I'm confused about everything." Chibs could see the unease on Juice's face. It was comical how put out Juice was with everything that was going on. He had seemed jittery and on edge ever since the Brawlers had ridden in that morning. Juice glanced over at Tig and Jabes. They were still holding secret conference against the bar, but this time Tig's hands were on her. "You don't think they've ever…?"

Chibs snorted. "Oh, god no. He wishes. He's been tryin' to get wi' her since she was legal. Well, age wouldn't o' stopped him, but Hawk…" Chibs looked at Juice and shrugged. "Hawk was her father. Hawk never let Tig near her when she was younger knowin' she was a hot piece o' ass. We all know Tiggy and what he likes to do, eh?" Chibs chugged the rest of his beer and put it down on a chair nearby.

Juice nodded. "What about Jax, though? They looked like they were close."

Chibs leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms across his chest. "Her and Jax? Nah. They ran 'round together when they were wee ones, but I don't think nothin' came o' it. Now, Opie...who knows." It was strange talking about this girl he had known since she was a small child in that way, but he couldn't deny what she had grown into.

"Opie? Seriously?" Juice turned to look Chibs in the eyes. "Holy shit. How do you think that was?" Chibs laughed.

"Absolutely wild, Juicy, absolutely wild." Chibs looked to the pool table just in time to see the Brawler lean across the pool table towards him. He had a straight shot down the front of her top. Her eyes flicked up to meet his and she gave him a wicked smile. He tipped his head to her and winked.

"Do you think…?" Chibs reluctantly tore his eyes from the Brawler.

"Do I think what?" He looked at Juice and smiled. "Do I think she'd go for you?"

Juice shrugged and nervously looked over at Jabes who was now free of Tig's clutches and had just turned to walk towards them.

"Tell you what, why don't you try and tell me how it works out?" Chibs slapped Juice on the back and Juice let out a nervous laugh.

"Boys." Jabes had just walked up. She stood with her legs slightly spread and her hands on her hips. Her long red hair was slung over her left shoulder and she had a smile on her lips.

"You havin' fun?" Chibs glanced behind Jabes to Tig, who was leaning over the bar away from them. Jabes turned to look and then turned back around. She shrugged and slipped her hands into her back pockets.

"You know, how it is, Chibs." Then she turned to Juice. "You're Juice, right?"

"Uh…yeah." Juice straightened up and adjusted his kutte. His voice broke a little and he felt his face flush from embarrassment. He had always been nervous around women in authoritative positions, but this was something completely different. Not only was Jabes the president of an MC, which was terrifying to him in and of itself, but she was nearly 6 feet tall, had a great ass, a gorgeous face, and an air about her that made her more than just an average woman. She was the kind of woman that would tear you apart, fuck you silly, beat the shit out of you, and at the end of it all you would be left begging for more. She made Juice more nervous than he had ever been when it came to a girl since he asked a girl to a school dance for the first time in middle school.

Jabes furrowed her brow. "You doing alright?"

"Oh, yeah. He's fine." Chibs swung his arm around Juice's shoulders and pulled him close. "He's just a wee bit nervous, huh?" Chibs used his free hand to slap Juice playfully in the chest. Juice laughed nervously. "Relax, boy."

Jabes raised her eyebrows at the two. She glanced over her left shoulder towards the stripper pole and saw her girl Roma talking to some friend of SAMCRO. "Hey, Rome!" Jabes called out. The woman's head whipped around, smiled at Jabes, and started to walk over without even saying anything to the man she had been talking to.

Juice got over the embarrassment Chibs had caused him just in time to see the girl that had hit on him earlier walk over. She was wearing a black tube top underneath her kutte so both her tan cleavage and fit mid-drift were showing. She had a snug pair of leather pants that were slung low and showed off her muscular yet soft legs. Her brunette hair was down around her shoulders and the naked lady was clearly visible on her arm.

Jabes put her arm around Roma's waist. "Roma, meet Juice. Why don't you go get him to relax a bit, huh?" Jabes slapped Roma on the ass and Roma let out a laugh.

"With pleasure, presidente. Come on, cutie." Roma said as she reached out and grabbed Juice's arm. She pulled him away from Chibs and Jabes and over to one of the couches where she pushed him down and then straddled him.

"Where do you find these girls?" Chibs asked with laughter in his voice as he put his arm out. Jabes tucked herself underneath his arm and leaned against the wall and his side. He kissed her on the forehead and stroked her shoulder with his fingers.

"I've missed you, Chibs. It's been so long." She leaned her head onto his shoulder and closed her eyes. Chibs had been the only one she kept in constant contact with. In fact, he called her every Sunday just to check in. He had sort of taken her under his wing after her father had died from a heart attack when she was 21. Even before her father died, he would watch over her when she found herself making runs to SAMCRO on her own in her late teens. He would often meet her at the border and they would ride into Charming together and he would see her off on her way out as well.

They had seen each other at least once a year since then. She knew he had taken her in because he couldn't see his own daughter Kerrianne, who was all the way in Ireland, but no matter his motivations she would always be happy that he had reached out to her and been a father figure when her own father was gone. It had been a long 7 years and she wouldn't be where she was if it wasn't for Chibs and the support he had given her over the years.

"I've missed you, too, sweet girl." He squeezed her shoulder. "But, tell me this, eh? Why do you have to mess with Tig when there are so many…" Chibs used his left hand to make a sweeping motion around the room. In the corner there was a Son puking his guts up and Bobby was taking shots off a crow-eater who was laying on top of the bar. "…fine young men surrounding you…" They chuckled.

"Don't you know you're the only man for me?" She smiled and kissed him on the cheek quickly before pushing off of the wall and pulling herself out from under his arm. Chibs laughed and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Well, Chibsy, I'm gonna go see if I can get myself in a fight." Jabes slapped Chibs on the shoulder and made her way towards the door of the clubhouse to go out into the night. Eventually she found Brass, her VP, and the two had it out to the roar of the crowd. By the end of the fight, the two were smiling broadly, revealing mouths full of blood, and Jabe's tanktop was ripped at her mid-drift. At the end of the night, it was the general consensus among the Sons that the party was one of the best SAMCRO had ever hosted and The Brawlers were welcome to stay as long as they wanted.


	5. Chapter 5: Fascinating Evolution

**Author's Note: Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you're 2013 fulfills all of your expectations and wishes! I really liked writing this chapter. I love Jabes's character and I really can't wait to keep building on what I have so far with her. Thank you for all of the feedback. I'd love to hear from y'all about what you think so far. Thanks for reading! **

Tig pulled his motorcycle into his garage and turned the engine off. He swung off the bike and while pulling his helmet off of his head he pressed the button mounted on the wall to shut the garage door. He then pushed his way through the wooden door that led into his kitchen. The air in the place was hot and heavy with morning light and little dust motes floated in the rays of sun that hit the linoleum floor. The light burned his eyes and made his head throb. He squinted his eyes against the offending brightness and glanced up at the cheap plastic red clock he had mounted by the refrigerator. 7:14 am. It was too early for anything except for coming home from a long night, and a long night it had been. After his run in with Jabes, he had had 3 shots and then had gone outside with the rest of the two clubs to watch Jabes have it out with her VP. The two beat the shit out of each other, but exited the ring with smiles on their faces. The last he saw of Jabes that night she had been sitting, or rather barely being able to cling to it because she was so drunk, on the bar with a few of her girls singing at the tops of their lungs some song he didn't recognize, each one of them with a half-gone bottle of vodka in their hands. It was late then, about 4 in the morning, and most of the other partygoers were passed out or coupled off. Tig had grabbed the bottle of whiskey he had been carrying around with him for a couple of hours and went to lay down in the boxing ring. He had woken up spooning the whiskey bottle, the contents of the bottle spilled all over him and the ring floor. Even though he knew he was still drunk, he got on his bike and made the short ride home. Not only did he not want to see Jabes for a while, but he didn't think he could stomach the customary breakfast for all the people that had crashed at the clubhouse. '

He fumbled over to the fridge and opened it up. It was nearly empty and anything that was in it would not sit well on his roiling stomach, so he shut the door and made his way to his bedroom, throwing his sunglasses and rings down on various pieces of furniture as he did so.

Alexander Trager stumbled into his bedroom and took off his kutte, which he threw across a chair positioned on the wall near the foot of his bed. He then pulled his shirt above his head and threw it onto the floor and fell face first onto his bed, an action that felt like it shook his brain loose in his skull. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and used his left foot to push his right boot off then his right foot to take his left boot off.

He breathed in as much air as he could and then exhaled slowly, feeling his heartbeat pulse painfully in his temples and behind his eyes. Though he was still drunk, he was pretty far into the beginning of a massive hangover from Hell and it was taking everything he had in him to keep the food from the day before down. Without opening his eyes, he slowly turned over onto his back. The slight movement brought about a fresh wave of pain and the man squeezed his eyes shut against it. The morning light was too bright, even through the mostly closed slats of the blinds, but he didn't have the motivation or ability to get up and close the blinds all the way.

Tig took a few deep breaths to calm his nausea and brought his hands up to his chest. After a while of seeing how long he could lay completely still (that was best way to not be in constant pain) his mind began to wander and soon he was thinking of Jabes. Not just as the woman she was the previous night, the woman who was in complete control of not only her body but his, but the sweet, innocent, pony-tailed girl she had been before she had grown into a woman that both terrified and aroused him. He had never thought of her in a sexual manner before she had come of age, he had strange kinks but that wasn't one of them, but he had always had a soft spot in his heart for Jessalynn Bethany Callahan. He had watched her evolve from sweet Jessalynn when she was really young to stubborn J.B. in her mid-late teens to MC president Jabes in her 20's. It was a fascinating evolution.

Alcohol allowed for all of the memories of his interactions with her throughout his time of knowing her to rush into his mind, both the good and the bad, from 15 years ago and from the night before.

* * *

_It was early afternoon on a Thursday in the middle of the summer. It was hot out and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Jessalynn Bethany Callahan was perched on a barstool closest to the pool table where Opie and Jax were playing a lazy game. It was too hot for the kids to be outside and there was nothing for them to do, so they were forced to hang out in the clubhouse while the Sons conducted their business. The Sons had just adjourned from Church and Hawk and Clay were talking in the other room. _

_Tig had come out from the conference and gone straight to the bar, where he poured himself a drink. The prospect at the time wasn't the best barkeeper, or the best prospect for that matter, so the liquor was not organized and Tig had sent him off in a flurry of curses to get the hell out of the way. _

_He poured himself a shot of bourbon then went to work rearranging the bottles. After a few minutes of being hunched over he stood up, stretched, and admired his work. In celebration of a few minutes of prospect labor, he poured himself another shot and leaned on the bar. He glanced over at Jessalynn, who was down the bar to his left. Her shoulder-length red curly hair was tied in a high ponytail and she was wearing a bright yellow sundress that revealed pale and freckly shoulders and arms. She had a spattering of freckles across her nose and big blue eyes with long blond lashes. She was tall, much taller than most other girls her age, and her limbs were long and gangly. She was growing into her adult body rather awkwardly. Her face was beginning to mature, to grow longer and leaner, and her features were starting to lose the girlish cuteness, but the rest of her body remained flat. Tig could see her mother in her and the only thing she had from her father besides her height were those blue eyes (and thank god, too, because Hawk was a giant, clumsy oaf of a man with an ugly pinched in face and a nose that was too small.) Once she got her curves, she'd be beautiful._

_Tig could hear her swinging her legs, the toes of the motorcycle boots the club had bought her for her last birthday were hitting the bar with a soft and rhythmic thumping sound. No matter what she wore, yellow sundress or jeans or gym shorts, she had always worn those boots since she had ripped open the wrapping paper 5 months before. They were her favorite possession simply because they were from the Sons and one day she wanted to be a member. At that point she was absent-mindedly drawing circles on the top of the bar and humming a Spice Girls song Tig was ashamed to admit he recognized so softly that he only caught the high notes from where he was standing. _

_She glanced up at him and caught his eye and gave him a smile, then went back to looking at the bar top and swinging her legs. She was so innocent and so unaware of the blood on the hands of all the men that lightheartedly joked around with her and mussed her hair, even on her father's. Tig looked down at his hands on the bar and breathed deeply then exhaled. One day she'd know and the veneer of awe and wonder that shrouded the club in her eyes would be demolished and she'd see them for what they were: outlaws that commonly had to resort to taking lives. _

_It was a distressing thought. She was young. Hawk would keep her in the dark as long as he could and even though he would try his hardest to keep her out of it completely, Tig knew she'd find out when she was old enough to handle it. Even if no one told her, she was a smart kid and she would find out. _

_Tig poured himself another drink, silently toasted to her naïveté, and downed the liquid. He looked over to Opie and Jax. The two were inseparable, but they made a funny pair. They were in their late teens and had recently celebrated their escape from the clutches of high school. They were young and fresh faced, excited for the lives that lay ahead of them in both the world and SAMCRO. They had waited so long to get into the club and soon they'd have their chance. They were care-free and ready for whatever lay head. _

_Opie, like his father Piney, was tall at 6"5 and beefy. The boys around TM jokingly called him a beefkitten, which he hated of course. Every time Jessalynn heard that she'd erupt in a fit of giggles and soon all of the guys around her would be laughing along, much to the embarrassment of Op. He was soft spoken and mostly just walked around with Jax or his Pop. Jax, on the other hand, had grown into an extroverted, sociable person that could get along with nearly anyone. He had the type of presence that demanded respect, even from the older guys, and with a smile and a wink he could bend any woman to his will. It was clear this kid would go far in the world of SAMCRO. _

_The two were palling around at the pool table. They had exiled Jessalynn to her own devices since she hadn't quite mastered pool yet and they didn't feel like teaching her. Deep down Tig felt bad for her. He knew that Jax and Opie loved her and they really did like her, she was just too young to do the things that the boys wanted to do. Thus, she was told to go away. _

_Feeling sorry for her, Tig took a deep breathe and moved closer to her. He stopped about 3 feet away and leaned on his elbow on the bartop facing her. _

"_Hey, kid…" He said. She looked up from her finger to make eye contact with him. _

"_Yeah?" She asked. He could tell she was surprised he was talking to her. He felt the same way a lot of the guys did about her, she was like a daughter to the club. They had all seen her grow up. He was just more hands-off then Bobby or Chibs. _

"_How old are you?" He squinted his eyes at her and tapped his fingers on the bar. _

"_13." She proclaimed proudly. _

"_Hmmm…" Tig furrowed his brow and pursed his lips. "I don't know…maybe you're too young…" He pushed off the bar and started to walk away from her. _

"_Wait!" She called out after him. He turned around and put his hands on his hips. "Too young for what?" _

"_Nah, nah. You are definitely too young." Tigger grabbed a towel from a shelf under the bar and started to wipe down the wood of the bar top even though it was already spotless. _

"_Too young for what?!" She demanded once more. She sat up tall in her seat and clasped her hands together on the bar top. She had stopped kicking her feet. _

"_Well…little kids can't do it." He kept wiping down the same spot of the wood without looking up at her. He could tell he had her full attention. _

"_I'm not a little kid! Didn't you hear me say that I'm 13, Tigger?" She slid into a stool that was closer to him and leaned on the bar. His name was awkward on her tongue._

"_Yeah I heard you…" He said quietly. He sighed loudly and dramatically so she could hear then slung the towel over his shoulder. "Okay, maybe you can handle it…" He walked down to lean across the bar on his elbows in front of her. "Okay…" He looked around the room dramatically to make sure no one was listening or looking. Jax and Opie were absorbed in their game and Hawk and Clay still hadn't emerged from the other room. _

_He looked back to Jessalynn and lifted a hand to motion her to lean in closer. She did. "Have you ever had vodka?" He asked in a whisper that made it seem like they were partaking in extremely criminal deliberations. _

"_No…why?" Her eyes were opened wide and her eyebrows were raised. _

"_Well…do you want to?" _

"_Oh…well…Aren't I too young?" She knitted her eyebrows and bit the inside of her bottom lip._

"_Oh, okay." Tig leaned back and pulled the towel off of his shoulder and started to wipe the perfectly clean spot where he had just been leaning. "I just figured with you being 13 and all that maybe you'd be ready. But, I guess n-"_

"_No! I'll do it!" She said in the loudest, most urgent whisper Tig had ever heard. _

"_Are you sure?" He leaned forward once more and looked into her eyes. She bit her lower lip and nodded vigorously. "Okay, then…" _

_Tig swung the towel over his shoulder once more and reached under the bar for a shot glass. He held it up for Jessalynn to see and winked at her, then pointed to the ground with his finger. "I have to get it." He said so just she could hear. He ducked under the bar and grabbed a bottle of well vodka. He splashed a few drops into the glass then stealthily grabbed the nozzle that was used for water and sodas and filled the other 9/10's of the shot glass with water. He quietly replaced the nozzle then stood up and put the glass in front of Jessalynn on the bar. Not knowing any better, she didn't question the strange manner in which Tig bartended. _

_She leaned back and put her hands on either side of the glass and stared long and hard at it as if she were inspecting it._

"_Well?" Tig asked. _

"_What are you doing?!" Jax and Opie had glanced over as Tig put the glass in front of the girl and immediately ran over, pool sticks in hand. _

"_It's okay, guys. Tig said I'm old enough." Jessalynn said matter-of-factly to the two older boys._

"_He did, did he?" Jax was glaring at Tiggy so hard Tig could have sworn he was trying to burn holes right through his head. Opie was clenching and unclenching his jaw, the knuckles of the hand wrapped around the pool stick white. _

"_Yeah, he did." Tig tried his best to make a face at Jax to let him know it was all okay. Jax didn't catch the hint, so Tig reached to his side to grab the nozzle. He pulled it up just over the bar so Jax and Opie could see. "She's 13. She's an adult. She can try it." He subtly jerked his head to the right, the side where he was holding the nozzle. Opie elbowed Jax and subtely pointed to what Tig was holding and Tigger saw the realization spread across Jax's face._

"_Ooohh. Well, maybe he's right." Jax's tone completely changed. Jessalynn, oblivious to what Tig and Opie had done but just ecstatic that she had Jax's approval, looked up to Jax at her right and gave him a wide smile. _

"_You really think I'm old enough?" She started to swing her legs again, the thumping becoming audible. _

"_Yeah, kid, I do." Jax playfully pulled her ponytail. "But you have to do it fast. You don't sip this stuff, okay?" She nodded vigorously then looked at the glass in front of her. Underneath the gazes of the 3 men, she picked the glass up with both hands, brought it to her lips, then in two gulps downed it. _

"_Ewwww!" She exclaimed as she put the glass down. All three guys smiled and laughed. "You guys like this stuff?" Jessalynn wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. _

"_You'll like it in a few years, I promise you." Jax put his arm around her and squeezed her tight. _

"_Oh, god! Never! I'll never, ever drink it again." She shrieked and pushed him away playfully. Opie lightly punched her in the shoulder and she hit him back. He doubled over and started gasping for breath as if her punch to his gut had actually been strong enough to knock the wind out of him. _

_Tig leaned back and crossed his arms, taking in the whole scene. It was always refreshing when there were light times in the clubhouse. Those light times helped when dark deeds had to be performed and the destinies of others had to be decided. _

"_Drink what again?" The smile that had spread across Tig's lips quickly faded as he glanced up and saw Hawk's imposing form standing in the doorway of the conference room. Tig reached out to quickly and surreptitiously take the shot glass from the bar top but Hawk glanced down and saw what he was doing. His ugly face was scrunched up. _

_The boys had stopped laughing as soon as Hawk had spoken and Jessalynn's face was bright red. Hawk grunted and walked over to deliver a sever berating that sent Opie's, Jax's, and Jessalynn's eyes to the ground for more than 3 days after when Hawk was present. Tig got his share, too, even after he explained it was just a drop of vodka in a glass of water. He could still see the way her eyes lit up when Jax had come over to give his approval. He could tell she thought she was finally one of them. _

* * *

Tig smiled at the memory of it all, but the smile turned into the grimace due to the physical pain he felt by moving his face. It was one of his most fond memories in the SAMCRO clubhouse. Shortly after that, though, Jessalynn ditched the sundresses and became JB. As she grew older she slowly slipped more and more into the business and lifestyle of Sons of Anarchy. She got her first Harley on her 16th birthday (though Hawk had it picked out when she was only 14) and she and her father became more inseparable than before, if it had been possible. She became a fixture around the clubhouse in Charming and in all of the lives of the men of SAMCRO, including Tig's.

* * *

"_How many men have you killed, Tiggy?" Jabes and Tig were sitting on the curb out in front of the clubhouse. It was in the middle of the night and the two were bathed in the soft orange glow of one of the floodlights on the property. The rest of SAMCRO was inside, taking the shots that were customary after a bit of bloody club business. Tig had watched her leave and decided to follow her out here. It was always tough with your first kill and he couldn't even begin to imagine what it was like for an 18 year old girl. _

"_Why do we have to talk about this…" Tig was leaning back on his hands, his head rolled back so he could look at the few stars that were peaking out from behind clouds. He heard her flick open her lighter and light a cigarette, then close the lighter and slide it into her jeans pocket. She took a long drag and exhaled, the smoke snaking into the atmosphere._

"_Answer the goddamn question…" Her voice was steelier than it had been, cold and frustrated. She turned her head to look at him just as he brought his head down to his chest to look at her. Her eyes were burning and the way she was looking at him was intense. She pulled at the cigarette that sat between her lips and let the smoke escape her mouth slowly. He inspected her face through the veil of smoke and took a deep breath. _

"_I don't know…" He let his head drop and looked in his lap. He really had no idea. He remembered his first few and those few kills that had really affected him for one reason or another, but the others were a blur and usually happened so fast that a body count was impossible. "I…I don't know, Jabes." _

_She looked away from him and out into the night, yanking the cigarette out of her mouth. She shook her head and looked down at the asphault between her boots. Specks of blood glittered on the black leather of her Doc Martens, but she didn't want to look at them, didn't want that reminder of the life that no longer was. _

_She was 18 and had graduated high school a month before. She had thought about going to college and had even gotten in a few places, but she couldn't leave her father by himself. He needed her too badly. So she decided to stay and help him out. Staying meant more club business runs and since she had been a part of the SoA family for so long, she had been included in more business (Well, as much business as she could be included in without being a member.) That night had involved such business. They were making a run when shit went down in a warehouse. Jabes had been left with Chibs out in the front to stand watch and when it started popping off inside, she and the Scotsman had run in as backup, guns drawn and at the ready. She ended up stumbling upon Opie who was at the end of the barrel of another man's gun. Without thinking she took aim and fired and the man dropped. Opie, who had been laying on his back on the ground, turned his head and looked at her and she barely heard him say "Oh shit…" before he scrambled to his feet, grabbed his gun which had skittered 10 feet away from him, put his arm around her, and rushed her out of the building. When everyone in SAMCRO was accounted for and all of the other men inside the warehouse dealt with, the realization hit her and the rest of the club. She had killed a man. _

_The Sons, all having dealt with a first kill, did their best to comfort her, to tell her that it was justified and without her Opie would be dead. Nothing they did, though, shook the shock from her. She had ridden in the van with Chibs and on the way home he had tried his best to coax words out of her, but she just couldn't find them. When they got to the clubhouse, Hawk, who was too old to go on runs, rushed out and wrapped her into a bear hug. He whispered to her, but she didn't hear what he said. He let her go and a few seconds later pressed a bottle of whiskey into her hand. Hawk kissed her on the forehead, said a few more things that she didn't comprehend, then grabbed his own bottle and went into the apartment in the back. His little girl was being forced to grow up. _

_She had stood there for a few minutes staring at the men around her. Some had blood on them, some didn't, but all had drinks in their hands and all were extremely solemn. The air hung thick and heavy and it suddenly became too much to bear so she had left and gone out into the parking lot. The next thing she knew, Tigger had parked himself to her left and he had started to drink from the whiskey bottle she had brought out with her. _

"_Just so you know, I've known that the Sons weren't just a bunch of old fat…oh…what did Clay call you guys?" She looked down at her cigarette and tapped the ashes off of the end of it. "Oh….motorcycle enthusiasts." She chuckled softly, but Tig could sense the anger in her voice. "I've known since I was 14." _

_Jabes turned to look at Tigger and took a long drag of her cigarette before offering it to him. He took the half smoked Camel and placed it between his lips. The girl then reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out a sandwich bag that had a couple of joints in it. She pulled one out, lit it, then took a long hit. _

"_When I was 14…" Her voice was thick and syrupy with smoke, "That was the year Freddy J died. Uncle Freddy J. You know, I was told he died from a heart attack but when we went to the wake and the casket was closed, I knew it wasn't from natural causes." She took another hit from the joint then passed it to Tig who did the same after throwing the cigarette out into the empty lot. "That was also the year Daddy bought me a pretty little revolver for Christmas and the year Mama left him." _

_Jabes crossed her arms and propped her elbows up on her bent knees. Tig handed her back the joint and she took a long drag. _

"_I may have been 14, but I was smart." She looked over at Tigger who was still leaning on his hands. He was looking at her intently, his lips drawn into a straight line and his brow slightly furrowed. His black curly hair was messy, a few chunks sticking straight out. She broke eye contact and looked back out into the darkness. "I knew that somehow, some way, Freddy J, the gun, and Mama leavin' were all connected somehow. I knew it. It took me a couple months after Mama left, but I finally realized it was SAMCRO." Another hit and she passed it. "I knew the club worked outside of the law. I did. I knew that you guys weren't just talking about your motorcycles in those secret meetings. I just didn't know it went this far…" _

_Tigger heard her voice break. Her face was shrouded in darkness but he knew what the sound of her voice meant. This was her first kill. There was a crack in her, a crack that he had experienced, and she had to fix it so it wouldn't spread and break her completely in half. She turned to look at him, her distress clearly evident on her face. _

"_That man's blood is on my hands…" Her voice dropped and became breathy, signs of her exasperation. "What do I do?" She looked back to the black surrounding them, searching for the answers in the night. "What am I supposed to do?" _

_He couldn't think of the right words to say to her, the words that would ease her worry and make her realize that she had done the right thing. Comforting someone had never been his strong suit, especially women. Even though there were a few times where he had wished someone would just hold him, he usually went to liquor with his woes or buried them in pussy. Doing that had never presented the opportunity for Tig to improve upon his skills as a shoulder to cry on. _

_Tig sat up and put his right arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. She leaned into him and closed her eyes. She would have cried then if she wasn't too numb to do so. Instead she just sat there and listened to him "sssshhh" and felt him rubbing his thumb across her shoulder. Jabes closed her eyes and took a deep breath. He smelled like leather, liquor, and cologne. _

_There was no noise coming from the clubhouse. She knew they were still all just sitting around and drinking away what had happened. She had learned after watching her father that that's what Sons did. That was the way they grieved. _

_It was silent outside besides the soft buzzing of the floodlight and the sound of leather when she moved. Tig wasn't moving at all. His fingers on her shoulder had stilled. He felt strong and sturdy with his around her and her pressed against him. A bit of time passed and she slowly raised her head from his shoulder to look at him in the face. He was looking off into the darkness but he had felt her looking at him. After a few seconds of her studying his features he turned his head towards her and their eyes met. _

_It was a deep sort of eye contact, the kind that no matter how hard he tried he couldn't look away. There was something in her, probably her utter vulnerability, something magnetic, that pulled him to her. That magnetism brought his face closer to hers and as their lips neared he watched as her eyes slowly closed, those long blonde lashes slowly dropping. He closed his own eyes and felt their lips touch. It started as a soft kiss. It was innocent compared to what Tig's lips usually did when they came in contact with a woman, but it had more feeling behind it than most of those other times. He started to split his lips, hoping she'd take his lead, but instead she pulled back, away from him and out from under his arm. Jabes got up from the curb and walked a few paces away from Tigger and put her hands on her hips, facing away from him. She moved so fast that by the time he opened his eyes he had only gotten a short glimpse of her face. Her face was filled with confusion and maybe even distress. _

_It was the worst thing he could have done. As soon as he felt her pull away he regretted doing it. Seeing her so vulnerable made him want to help her, but he didn't have the words to do so, so he tried to do what he did best: physically pleasing a woman. He saw that was the last thing she needed. She needed support, a shoulder to lean on, not some older guy trying to take advantage of her being so emotionally exposed. _

_Tig brought his hands up to his face and rubbed his eyes. He shook his head and said, "I'm sorry", just loud enough for her to hear. She turned to look at him for a long time, her expression hard, and without saying a word she walked up, grabbed the bottle of booze, tucked it under her arm, fished out the second joint, lit it, then turned on her heel and walked toward one of the dark corners of the Teller-Morrow property. She left him on the curb to stew in what he had done. For the rest of her time in Charming during that particular trip she avoided his gaze and skirted around him whenever there were forced to interact. He would look at her and realize that he had lost whatever trust she had had in him and he would never get that back. That hurt more than seeing her in such agony over her first kill and watching her after she pulled the trigger that fateful night was like a dagger to his heart. _

* * *

Tig grunted and brought his right hand to his face and began to rub his eyes. The pressure was building behind his eyes to an excruciating level and he felt his jaw start to tingle in the way that signaled everything he had eaten the day before wanted to see the world again. A sudden wave of nausea hit him and he quickly got up and sprinted to the bathroom. Even though he made it to the toilet in time he regretted getting up so quickly because the pain in his head caused his vision to go black and his whole body ached from the movement.

After his stomach was empty, he stayed there crouched over with his head in the toilet for a few minutes trying to pull himself back together. All he wanted was to just go ahead and pass out. Sleep was all he wanted. When unconsciousness teased him like it had been doing while he was laying on the bed, his mind wandered and the memories of Jabes made him feel things he didn't want to feel about her. He just wanted to drown her out in a bottle of booze, which he had tried to do the night before but had obviously failed miserably.

He took several deep breaths to attempt to calm his nerves in the aftermath of the vomiting, then pushed himself up and off of the ceramic toilet. He moved to the sink and with squinted eyes managed to wash his face and run wet hands through his hair. He only had to glance at the mirror above the basin to know that he was a complete and total mess. He took a few more deep breaths before he went back to bed. It only took him a few minutes after his head hit the pillow before he slipped into a sleep blissfully empty of Jabes.


	6. Chapter 6: Baby Bear

**Author's Note: Hey, everyone! I'm sorry it took me soooo looonng to post a new chapter, but I've moved to a different country (and continent), so things have been kind of crazy the last 3 months. This chapter takes place ~ 7 1/2 years before the first few chapters of the story when Jabes was 20/21. I hope you all enjoy! Hopefully I'll be pumping these chapters out quicker now that I've broken the seal and written this one. As always, I love your feedback! Cheers!**

Jabes woke up to face a pitch-black room.

_Bang bang bang_

Disoriented, she shot up to a sitting position and glanced around the room. Eventually her eyes landed on the digital alarm clock. It blinked _4:57 _in bright green. Jabes rubbed her hands against her eyes and groaned.

_Bang bang bang bang…_

Her attention immediately went back to the horrendous banging coming from somewhere in her apartment. She pulled the sheets away from her body and swung her feet around to rest on the cold hardwood floor. She stood and started to slowly and cautiously make her way from the bedroom and into the main part of the apartment, trying to not bump into anything. Her heartbeat had begun to race, her muscles were tensing up. It wasn't a burglar because someone trying to rob here wouldn't knock on the door, but not every day did someone come knocking on her door so urgently at nearly 5 in the morning. A brief flash of worry that such a visit had to do with her father came across her mind and she felt beads of sweat start to form on her forehead.

_Bang bang bang_

She reached the small table behind the couch and from under her kutte that was laid across the table she pulled out her glock. She held the gun out in front of her and slowly and quietly made her way to the front door. Jabes looked through the peephole and felt a rush of relief wash over her body. She pushed her neck to the side, cracking it, and tucked the glock into the back of her PJ shorts before opening the door to reveal a hulking figure darkening the doorframe.

Opie was leaning against the left side of the doorframe, his right arm bracing him up on the other side. It was no wonder he was situated like that because just glancing at him she could tell he was drunk. He stood frozen in the doorway with his eyes shut and mouth slightly open. His hair was short but he was badly in need of a hair cut, his face covered in scruff, and he was wearing a white v-neck splattered in blood and an unbuttoned long-sleeved red flannel shirt underneath his kutte.

"Jesus Christ, Op…" She stood back and crossed her arms. Opie finally realized the door had been opened and looked up at her. He smiled a crooked, innocent smile.

"Well, hey there, Jessalyn…well you kinda look like you just woke up!" His words were slurred and his eyes were half-open. He tried to move his foot to step inside but ended up tripping. Jabes caught him around his chest and tried to help him up. When he finally had his footing she tucked herself under his arm and started to lead him to the sofa.

"What are you doing here?" She grunted against his weight. He stumbled against her and pushed her against the wall that separated the kitchen from the living room. She was momentarily crushed underneath him before he got his bearing once more and pushed himself off of the wall. He paused for a second, looking down at her with their faces only inches apart. His hands were on either side of her head and her hands had naturally gone to his waist when he had stumbled.

She looked up into his heavily hazel lidded eyes. They were darkened with the insatiable demon alcohol puts in men. Opie bit the inside of his lip and his eyes flicked down to her own then back to her blue eyes that were illuminated from a beam of the light shining through the window blinds from the floodlight on the side of her building.

"I came to see you..." His words were slow and his voice was low and husky. Opie moved his face closer to hers and took a deep breath. He could smell the soap she had washed her hair with before she went to bed and the honey lotion she had been using since he had given her a bottle of the stuff on her 13th birthday. She had fallen in love with it and had continued to buy the lotion after the one he had given her ran out.

Jabes felt the electricity between them, wanted to enjoy that connection the way they had before, but knew it wasn't a good idea. Not only was he drunk, too drunk for anything like that, but he was with Donna now. She wouldn't be the one to cause the end of a relationship, especially when Opie had seemed so happy with his new girlfriend. Well, had seemed so happy. This visit was completely out of the blue and he wasn't exactly acting like a taken man.

He started to close the difference between their lips but Jabes stopped him with a hand on his chest.

"No, Op…no." She said softly as she pushed herself off of the wall and moved under his arm to escape the cage he had built around her with his body. She put her hands on his hips and pulled him backwards. He got the hint, shook his head, then began to slowly make his way to the couch.

He plopped himself down in the middle of the sofa and leaned his head back against the cushions. The world was spinning and his thoughts were for the most part muddled. He had been at a bar drinking with some of his old high school buddies when he realized he had to come see her. Despite the urging of his friends, it wasn't something that could wait until morning. He had to see her just then. Now here he was, in her living room, on her sofa, the smell of her lotion still fresh in his nose.

Jabes sat across from him on the coffee table. And pulled his left leg up for his calf to rest on her knee. She started to unlace his boot.

"Did one of the guys come with you?" She loosened the shoe enough and then pulled the giant shoe off of his foot and threw it towards the front door.

"Nope!" He said, his head still leaned back and his eyes closed. "You've got me all to yourself, baby bear." He smiled at the nickname. He hadn't called her that in years.

Jabes rolled her eyes and pushed his leg off of her knee, it made a loud thud when his heel came into contact with the wood floor and she saw his eyes clench tighter with pain and she smiled with satisfaction. He hadn't called her that since she was little and even then she hated it. Jabes knew that he meant it as a term of endearment, a way of showing their closeness, but even when he had called her that on the regular basis she would pinch and punch him for doing it. Why stop the tradition now?

Jabes reached down and grabbed his other leg by the jean material around his ankle and hoisted it up to rest on her knee. She looked down to unlace his other boot and noticed his shin and knee were completely covered in mud. With a glance she confirmed that the other leg was, too.

"Op, how the hell did you get here? I know you didn't ride…" She paused her work to look at him. He slowly raised his head when he felt the burning of her eyes on his face and gave her a smug smile.

"I walked here." And with that he let his head fall back once more to rest on the top of the cushions.

"From where?" Her fingers started to work at the double knot in his boot laces but her eyes were going down his body from his dirty and greasy hair to his unshaved face to his blood stained shirt. The man was a mess. Something had to be going on. Granted she wasn't around him 24/7 nor did she know him as well as he used to, but this was definitely the most intoxicated and the most disheveled she had ever seen him. Honestly that was saying a lot because she had seen him work for days and days on his bike, completely covered in grease, without taking a shower and she had seen him so drunk sometimes that he couldn't stand up. But never before had he done something like this.

"From the Monkey's Back." Opie licked his lips. His tongue was dry and was starting to get that swollen feeling he got every time he drank too much. That wasn't the only sign he had had too much to drink. His head was swimming, his jaw was tingling with the possibility of his dinner coming to revisit him in the outside world, his knuckles and knees were stinging, and here he was.

"That's five miles!" He smiled and with all of the effort in the world raised his head once more to look down on his childhood friend and sweetheart. Her mouth was hanging open and her blue eyes were opened wider than he ever thought was possible. It tickled him that she was so concerned, so surprised even that he would walk five miles to see her. It made so much sense to him.

He didn't know why, but at the Monkey's Back while drinking with some high school buddies, he couldn't get that redhead out of his mind. He knew she was in town of course, she had just rolled in with her father about a week before, and he knew she was renting a place instead of staying at the clubhouse. He even knew where the apartment was because Charming was such a small town and the goings-on within the city limits were practically common knowledge, especially when someone new moved into the place that was being rented out by Paddy Jenkin's only son after Paddy had been moved into a home after just 85 years of living in Charming.

The entire night, amid the hootings and hollerings of his good friends, he couldn't stop thinking about her. He hadn't seen her in about a year and that year had done her well. She had filled out more, no longer a mop-topped surfboard. Her face had matured, the freckles no longer looking childish but exotic, and her figure was irresistible with hips, a small waist, and breasts that looked like they would fit in Opie's hands perfectly. Jabes was still the headstrong, sassy girl she had always been, but now she wasn't a girl. Jabes was a woman. A strong woman. A woman that after a few years would probably overtake Gemma in the HBIC department in the lives of the SAMCRO men and honestly be more desirable than Gemma ever was, despite the foxy piece of ass Gemma had been in her youth and even now in her mature years.

Jabes had waltzed in to the SAMCRO clubhouse tailing her father and nearly every man in the room froze. She knew it, too. Not only had that year given her a figure, but it had also given her a sense of confidence and self-awareness that would take her far in life.

"Hello, boys!" she had said while cocking out her hip and putting her hands on her waist as soon as she realized how much attention she was getting. Her poor father shook hands with Clay and immediately went to the bar. She had outgrown her old pa and she was too much of a woman for the old man to handle or control. All the men felt that this Jabes, this sauntering, teasing, sexual, stronger Jabes, would most likely be the death of Hawk.

And here she was pulling off Opie's muddy boot and flinging it across the room as though she were taking care of a child. Her shoulder-length curls were loose about her shoulders and the shorter pieces near the front kept falling into her eyes no matter how many times she paused to sweep them behind her ear. She was wearing an overly large North Carolina State University t-shirt that he guessed originally didn't belong to her and a pair of plaid pajama shorts. She looked more like the old Jabes now and that made Opie smile. As much as he yearned for the new Jabes, the Jabes that would legtimately kick his ass, he loved the girl with the goofy grin that used to punch him in the shoulder and call him stupid names. The girl he fell in love with.

He watched as she pushed herself off of the coffee table and came to her knees in between his legs. She reached for his belt buckle and he felt his face flush and the small smile that had been on his lips stretch to a much bigger one.

"Why are you smiling?" He hadn't noticed that she had stopped messing with his belt buckle and now she was staring at him with a stern, reproachful gaze. Her tongue was tucked up underneath her upper lip and against her incisor. He wanted to kiss those lips again.

"Well, we've been here before, haven't we?" He laughed out loud but stopped short when she punched him in the gut. She went back to work on his belt buckle as he caught his breath. He started to watch her again, how her hair was falling around her face, how the freckles he could barely see in the dim light spread across her shoulders and arms.

In a much more somber tone he asked the question he had been wondering for over a year. "What happened to us?"

She briefly paused. He expected her to say something but instead she loosened his belt buckle, undid his pants button, and unzipped his pants. She jerked his pants down to where his ass met the couch and he grunted as he struggled to lift his butt off of the cushions. She then pulled his pants off the rest of the way in a manner that Opie would not have classified as gentle. When his pants were on the ground and he was sitting in his boxers, Jabes motioned for him to put his hands over his head. She slowly pulled his kutte and flannel shirt off of him and then pulled his white v-neck over his head as though he were a 5-year old whose mother was getting him ready for bed.

His eyes tried to stay trained on her face. The only emotion she was giving away was slight annoyance. He didn't know if it was because of the question, because of the fact he had shown up so late, or because she had to take care of a grown man as though he were a child.

Once Opie's clothes were on the floor in a pile behind the couch, Jabes grabbed his hands to look at his knuckles. From what she could tell in the dim light, his knuckles were practically skinned and judging from the blood stains he had been wiping his hands on shirt to clean up the blood. It didn't look like he had gotten in a fight with another person, but a brick wall. She let out a sigh. From what she saw of his bloody knees when she had pulled off his pants and his knuckles, Harry "Opie" Winston had had more than just a tough time on the five-mile walk to fall down on her doorstep.

She let his hands drop and then walked into the bathroom, leaving him to stew in his thoughts. She wouldn't answer that question. It had been so long ago but she had just completely gotten over it and she was not exactly looking to re-open freshly healed wounds tonight. She had other wounds to treat.

* * *

Opie sat in the semi-darkness nearly nude, just listening to the sounds of the apartment and the sounds Jabes was making wherever the hell she had gone. It was then that a wave of sudden regret washed over him. He shouldn't have come here, he shouldn't be trying to talk to her. She hated him. She had to hate him. When they had gone their separate ways a year and a half ago he had thought she was riding out on him, leaving him in the dust of the Teller-Morrow lot to rot forever. But now he knew it was his fault. He should have fought for her, should have demanded and begged that she take him back. And now his way of trying to make amends was forcing himself on her at 5am while he was practically blackout drunk.

They hadn't always harbored feelings for each other, nor was the time they were together very long. But whatever it was, it had hit them both extremely hard. It had started with a drunken kiss on the top of the SAMCRO clubhouse and then actual feelings were harbored through more secret kisses and notes tucked into kuttes and jacket pockets when Jabes came into town with her father. It eventually evolved into Opie coming up to Washington to see her when Hawk was away on business over weekends and Op even stayed with her for 2 weeks once when her father was doing business with SAMBEL in Ireland.

It didn't take many weekends of eating pizza and watching Kung Fu movies, sleeping in until 2pm in the same bed, drinking so much coffee they were delirious, and playing Atari video games for Opie to realize he had fallen in love with this girl. They had only slept together about 4 times over the span of a 9 month dalliance. Theirs was the type of relationship where it wasn't needed. They would just lay in bed with their long limbs entwined and be completely and totally satisfied with life. It had all ended though when Jabes came into town with her father and pulled Opie into a secret conference to tell him that she had been 3 weeks late. He was 22 and acted on his gut reaction of freezing up and walking out. He couldn't have a kid! He didn't even really have a job to support himself!

He'd never forget the look on her tear-stained face as he walked out of the back bedroom of the SAMCRO clubhouse, his fists clenched in rage at the fact that she would be so stupid as to not be on the pill and he would be so stupid as to not use a condom. They were fucked.

It took him a few days to recover and realize that he had messed up. As soon as he fully understood how much of an ass he had been, how unfair he had been to Jabes, he ran to the clubhouse to find her. This wasn't her fault and he wasn't mad at her. They would have this baby and he would make it work. He just had to tell her.

Opie eventually found her but she refused to talk to him. All he got were icy stares that stopped him from even trying to explain. He could tell he had permanently damaged their relationship all because he was a fucking idiot and had acted without thinking.

She avoided him for the 3 weeks that were left in her visit. As Opie watched her ride out with Hawk he found a small note that was in the pocket of his kutte. Usually their notes were long and clumsily poetic, but this one just said:

_Congratulations, you're not a father. _

_ -J_

In that moment he felt his chest clench up and tears start to form in his eyes. He had fucked everything up for nothing, for just paranoia. She was gone forever now and he hadn't done enough to bring her back to him.

Since then their interactions had been nothing beyond cordial. He asked her how she was, she answered, she commented on some mundane everyday thing, and then moved on to talk to someone else. Until now.

* * *

Jabes came back into the living room and switched on a lamp on one of the end-tables. Opie grimaced against the shockingly bright light and turned his head away. Jabes parked herself on the coffee table between his knees once more and set the cotton balls, hydrogen peroxide, and gauze she had carried from the bathroom on the table beside her.

She put some peroxide on a cotton ball and pressed it against his right knee. She heard Opie take a sharp inhale and pulled back quickly for fear of hurting him. Jabes glanced up at him, but his head was tilted back and he was staring at the ceiling. She wet another cotton ball and continued her work on his knees, becoming numb to his grimaces and jerks when the cool liquid hit his raw skin.

Only when she took his hands did he speak again.

"I'm serious, Jabes, what happened to us?" He looked down at her. She had pulled her hair up into a bun on the top of her head. She was inspecting the knuckles on both of his hands. Just glancing down he could tell his hands were just gore, hamburger meat.

She set down his hands gently and then wet a few cotton balls, which she placed on her lap before grabbing his right hand.

"Opie, there never was an us," she stated as she pressed a soaking wet cotton ball to his knuckle. Opie let out a stifled yell and she flicked her eyes up at him. His face was twisted in pain, not only from his injuries but also from what she said.

He took a few deep breaths. He knew she was mad, but how could she deny that they had been something? She was his first true love. Does that mean she had never loved him like he had loved her? There was a knot forming in his gut. That tightness over took the nausea and intensified his dizziness. He couldn't take this. Why the hell did he think it was a good idea coming here?

Opie was lost in his looping thoughts, his pain (by now the physical pain had just become a dull pulsing), and he didn't notice that Jabes had finished her work and was now cleaning up the bloody cotton balls. He flexed his fingers and inspected the fresh bandages that sat across his knuckles. It hurt just to move his fingers. He couldn't even remember how he had done this to his hands on the way over, but he knew the pain he'd be experiencing over the next few days wouldn't let him forget he was a fucking idiot that night.

She went into the kitchen that was behind the couch and Opie listened to her open and close cabinets, turn on the sink, clear her throat, then turn the sink back off. There was the soft clink of a glass being set on marble and then he heard her bare feet pad to somewhere else in the apartment. A few seconds later she appeared before him again wielding a glass of water, a pillow, and a burgundy fleece blanket.

They didn't say anything to each other as Jabes set the water down on the coffee table, put the pillow at one end of the couch, and threw the blanket onto Opie's knees. He laid back and spread the blanket across his body and closed his eyes just as she turned the lamp off on the end-table.

He listened to her walk a few steps away from the sofa before he spoke.

"Happy birthday, Jessalyn." He said with a voice that sounded too rough to be his own. He knew it was because of her hurtful words, the alcohol-fueled tears he had been trying to keep at bay, but to her it sounded like he was angry.

Jabes stopped in her tracks and looked back at him. His eyes were closed and his arm was slung over his face. She had loved him. She still loved him. But she couldn't let him know. He had hurt her too badly and they could never be together because of it, no matter her feelings towards him or hers towards her.

"Thanks, Opie." She said in a quiet voice before turning and going back to her room to toss and turn sleeplessly until the sun rose.


	7. Chapter 7: The Favor Pt 1

_AN: Hey, everyone! I'm so sorry it's been so long. I've had this idea cooking for a while and I'm glad I can finally get it on here. This is part 1 of a three part giant chapter. Definitely stay tuned because it's going to get interesting!   
_

"Ay, Jabes!" Chibs hung leaned out of the conference room's doorway and called to Jabes, who was currently hanging out at the bar with some of her girls. Jabes turned around and Chibs motioned her over. She nodded then turned to Filthy Phil, who then handed her a beer.

She sauntered over to her pseudo-god father and took a swig from the bottle while playfully swatting him on the stomach with her free hand. "What's up?"

He raised his eyebrows at her and leaned his head towards the room. "You betta come in."

He held the door open for her and she ducked under his arm. She entered the room and stopped. Jax was at the head of the table and to his right was Chibs' empty chair and next to that was Tig. This didn't look good.

"Jessalyn," A smile spread across Jax Teller's lips. He was especially handsome that day with his customary grey shirt and a fresh hair cut. How she had never tried to go after him, she'll never know. He leaned back in his chair and motioned towards the chair to his left. "Come on, sit your ass down." Wearily, Jabes followed his orders, suspiciously looking at all three men as she did so.

She sat down and placed her beer on the table in front of her, which was met with a scoff and an eye roll from Tig.

"You got a problem, Tigger?" She sounded off, cutting her eyes at him. Ever since her arrival they had been at each other's throats. What started off as a flirtatious game for her quickly turned into his being an asshole and her constantly being pissed off at him. At every turn Alexander Trager questioned her ability to lead an MC or even partake in SAMCRO business. It seemed that his only concern was turning SAMCRO against her and her girls and sending them back out east. She was teetering on the edge of just beating the shit out of him. He just needed to mutter the wrong sound and she would do it.

"I just don't understand why you have to drink that nasty hipster shit." He motioned with his hand towards her beer. It was a locally brewed IPA and it was fucking delicious. "What's wrong with the beer we have here, huh? Why do you think you're so special to have that shit?"

Jabes just gaped at him. He was literally trying to pick at everything, no matter how small or ridiculous he sounded. "Are you fucking kidding me right now…? I w-"

"Stop it right now!" Jax slammed his hand on the table. He was fed up with it. Everyone had noticed the tension between Tig and Jabes and out of concern practically every member of SAMCRO had come to Jax about it. He knew they actually didn't hate each other. Well, he knew Tig didn't actually hate Jabes. In fact it seemed to Jax that Tig might be as very close as Tig could get to being in love with Jabes (if Tig could love anything besides his dog and himself.) Judging by the fire her eyes were shooting at the former Sergeant-At-Arms, though, her hatred might be very real. Jax didn't have time for love or hate between them at this point. He had business to deal with.

Jabes shot one last jaw-clenched glare at Tig before she turned her attention to Jax, who was now facing her with his arms crossed on the table. She took a long drink from her beer and made an exaggerated "aaahhh" sound then slammed the bottle on the table just in case Tig didn't get the point.

Jax rolled his eyes and sent her a look. She shrugged and smiled. Tig shifted away from facing her and put his feet up on the redwood table. He lit a cigarette and leaned his head back, trying to ignore the fact that she was even in the room. Chibs just shook his head at the scene.

"Now that that's over, I have a favor to ask." Jax watched her face to gauge her reaction. She leaned towards him, a sign she was interested. Everything was going well so far, thank god.

"Okay…"

"So you've been here, like, what? 3 weeks now? Well, I know you. Chibs knows you. Tig, as much as he acts like he doesn't want to, knows you. We know you and we trust you. We have history."

"Okay…" This talk was making her nervous. Extremely nervous. What was going on?

"But, a lot of the guys in the club don't. They all like you and everything, but they're nervous about officially connecting our club to the Brawlers. They need some sort of reassurance that they can trust you like we do." He was dancing around the subject, setting it up so she couldn't say "no" to what he was going to ask her and she fucking hated that.

"What do you want me to do? Bake them a lasagna?" She knew that wasn't what he was asking her, but she hated the way he was asking her whatever the hell he was asking her, so this was her way of lashing out.

Chibs made a funny sound and everyone in the room turned to look at him, even Tig who was busy trying to pretend he was anywhere but in that room.

"Oh, god, girl. I wouldn't wish your lasagna on the worst of my enemies!" He started howling with laughter. Jabes just furrowed her eyebrows at him and flipped him the bird then turned back to Jax.

"No, that's not what I'm asking." Jax looked down at this hands, which were now clasped in front of him on the table.

"Jax, just fucking tell me," She demanded.

"Goddammit, okay." He took a deep breath then exhaled and looked up from his hands to look her square in her face. "There's a new crew of coke dealers trying to push into Charming. They're from the Midwest apparently and have no idea how things work out here. We need to get to them before they get it in their heads that they can put us down." He sat there quietly for a second, hoping she would miraculously read between the lines.

"Do you want the Brawlers to go take care of it? Just tell me where they are and we'll do it." A wave of relief washed over her. This wasn't so bad. She was expecting something terrible…

"No, that's not it. We need to get to the guy in charge in Charming without scaring him off…."

"Jesus, Jax, just tell the girl!" Chibs declared. "Oh, fine!" He leaned forward in his chair towards Jabes.

"What this bumbling idiot is trying to tell you is we need to you slap on a dress and show off those legs your mother gave you." Chibs raised his eyebrows at her. He could see the shock in her face. Her mouth dropped open and she looked from Chibs to Jax. Jax was staring at his hands again.

"Jax, Jax look at me…" He slowly looked up. His face was turning red. "What is he talking about?" Jax just shook his head and looked down again. He had spent nearly his entire life loving this girl like a sister. He didn't want to send her into this just like he wouldn't want to send Tara into this. She wasn't just another gash he felt that people could just use for club business, she was his closest, oldest friend now.

"SAMCRO needs you to put on something that makes you look like a woman and make yourself fucking useful. You're literally doing nothing but leeching off of this club. The least you could do after all this time is get on your knees and do what you were made to do." Tig said, his head still leaned back and his eyes closed. Even though his eyes were closed he could feel the heat from Jabes' glare as she slowly turned to look at him. Tig felt his heart harden with that last sentence. He honestly didn't think that about her. He just had to do what he did best and push people away, especially a woman he cared for. He needed to get her gone because loving her was no good for him.

"If you talk to me like that ever again, I swear to god I will beat the ever-loving shit out of your over-the-hill ass." Her voice was pure ice that he felt to his bones. Tig knew that she could take him. He was strong, but she was, too. He had seen her fight a man before and she did not fight like a girl. She was trained to fight by men and she fought just like one.

Jax finally got over his embarrassment and cleared his throat. He looked at Tig, his eyes cutting into the older man, screaming "I'll fucking deal with you later!" before turning back to Jabes. Even Jax knew the words were empty, but he would not have Tig disrespect Jabes like that, especially in his presence. Jabes could take care of the situation, but he needed Tig to know (as though Tig didn't already) that he was on Jabes's side.

Tig abruptly stood up and slammed his chair into the table before swinging open the door and stalking out.

Jax turned his attention once more to the issue at hand once the door was securely shut after Tig's exit. "Look, I'm sorry. You know I wouldn't ask you unless it was serious. Well, I hope you'd know that. There's just no one else we can trust to do this. It would be a huge favor to the club and it would get you in with the guys." He could see the anger build up in her blue eyes and her face was flushing.

He knew she would react like this. Once she had turned 18, she was used as bait for SAMCRO several times. Even then she hated being flaunted in front of some asshole gun thug just so the club could get their hands on him. One time a guy got too handsy and that's when Hawk drew the line. She had taken care of business, breaking the guy's jaw and giving him a hard driven punch to the crotch, but Hawk would have no more of it. It was one of the biggest fights he and Clay ever had.

It wasn't Jabes's fault that she was beautiful, that she would get any guy's attention. It wasn't her fault she was just born into SOA royalty and the club knew she could be trusted with these types of things. The club just couldn't risk putting some sweetbutt on the table, some weak girl that might chicken out or not know how to defend herself properly. Jabes was their only option.

Jax studied her face. She had eyeliner drawn into cat eyes and mascara on, but that was her only makeup. She didn't need it. The thousands of freckles on her face were extra dark, most likely from the strong California sun. He could see a rimming of tears build up in her bright blue eyes. She held them back, though. She always held them back, especially around men. The last time she had shed a single tear in front of someone of the opposite sex was the night before her father's funeral. Jax and Opie had come to the house she was renting to check on her since no one had heard from her in three days. They found her passed out on her couch, drunk and high, and threw her in the shower still in her clothes. When she came to and saw them, she couldn't help but cry every tear she could muster. That was the last time.

Jabes closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Jax was right. There were some guys that were still weary of her girls. Those guys had no idea about the hits she had taken for SAMCRO in her past. She leaned back in her chair and brought her hand up to her eyes, rubbing them to try and get the tears to go away.

After what felt like years of silence she began to nod her head.

"You know I wouldn't do this unless I had to. You're this club's blood and you shouldn't have to prove yourself…" Jax reached out and put his hand on her jean-clad knee. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at him.

"I can't believe I'm fucking doing this." Her voice was deep and raspy from disappointment in her oldest friend. It would be worth it in the long hall to get in bed with SAMCRO, but right now it didn't really seem worth getting into bed with some drug dealer.

"It won't be that bad, sweet girl. We'll come in before anything has to happen…" She glanced over at Chibs, whose face was etched with concern.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I'm going to need more beer, though." She turned to look at Jax once more. "Also, I'm going to need to talk to Tara. I need to borrow something. I didn't exactly pack for this shit." Jabes pulled a pack of cigarettes from her pants pocket and pulled a cigarette out. Before she could pull out her lighter Jax had one already igniting the end of her cigarette.

"You got it, kid." He said softly, a small, sad smile on his lips.


End file.
